Gazibegović, Ph.D. candidate in the group of prof. Erik Bakkers at the department of Applied Physics, developed a device made of ultrathin networks of nanowires in the shape of "hashtags." This device allows pairs of Majorana particles to exchange position and keep track of the changes occurred, in a phenomenon known as "braiding." This event is considered as a striking proof of the existence of Majorana particles, and it represents a crucial step towards their use as building blocks for the development of quantum computers. With two Nature publications in her pocket, Gazibegović is ready to defend her Ph.D. thesis on May 10.

Researchers at Tokyo Tech have developed a nanosized container bearing photoswitches that takes up hydrophobic compounds of various size and shape in water and subsequently releases them quantitatively by non-invasive light stimulus. The installed switches allow reusing of the container after successful release of the cargo. The novel system represents a versatile platform for future developments in fields such as materials chemistry and biomedicine.

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used carbon nanotube templates to produce nanowires of transition metal monochalcogenide (TMM), which are only 3 atoms wide in diameter. These are 50 times longer than previous attempts and can be studied in isolation, preserving the properties of atomically quasi '1D' objects. The team saw that single wires twist when perturbed, suggesting that isolated nanowires have unique mechanical properties which might be applied to switching in nanoelectronics.

A team of researchers led by Berkeley Lab has observed chirality for the first time in polar skyrmions, in a material with reversible electrical properties -- a combination that could lead to more powerful data storage devices that continue to hold information, even after they've been turned off.

Bracelets are basically an article or piece of jewelry worn on the wrist. As fashionable as modern day bracelets have become, they are always rather just mundane and barely noticed sometimes. Any bracelet lover would be craving badly for something ethereal and unique, futuristic even. As much as you think it's never going to be within grasp, the future is already here. A. Velichkovski has created the first luxury bracelets based on nanotechnologies in the world. His experience in art, nano-chemistry and quantum molecular modeling allows him to create new unique modern jewelry designs which represent modern life and the future. Velichkovski (VKI) introduces the "Quantum nano" bracelet collection which was designed by their R&D team from the bottom up, using a conception of nanotechnologies, a conception which was introduced first by Nobel laureate physicist R. Fainman. For the creation of this nanotube bracelet clasp, Velichkovski and team for the first time in jewelry creation used the same computer ...

For biologists everywhere, April 25 is auspicious. It is DNA Day and commemorates the date in 1953 when scientists Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, James Watson and Maurice Wilkins published seminal scientific papers describing the helical structure of the DNA molecule. In 2003, April 25 was used to announce the completion of the Human Genome Project. Now annual festivities on this day celebrate the molecule of life with new discoveries. What better time to provide a new picture of DNA.

Nanoparticles of less than 100 nanometres in size are used to engineer new materials and nanotechnologies across a variety of sectors. Their small size means these particles have a very high surface area to volume ratio and their properties depend strongly on their size, shape and bound molecules. This offers engineers greater flexibility when designing materials that can be used in our everyday lives. Nanoparticles are found in sunblock creams and cosmetics as well as inside our bodies, as drug delivery vehicles and as contrast agents for pharmaceuticals. Gold nanoparticles are proving to be a next-generation tool in nanoengineering as an effective catalyst at such small dimensions. However, nanomaterials also pose a potential risk, as their interactions with living matter and the environment are not fully understood—meaning that they might not perform as expected, for instance in the human body.